New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-29
THE STORY OF THE DAY.

| LONG DELAY CAUSED BY THE COMMITTEE on RES
oLUTIoNs-THE CIVIL SERVICE PLANK A CON-
PROMISE.
SARATOGA. Sept. 2s.-The harmony of yesterday
was not broken to-day. The convention nomi-
mated what must be conceded to be q respectable
ticket, and chose all but one of the candidates
by acclamation There was no exhibition Of i'll
| feeling at any time. 1t was In fact lulSe-warm
convention and so decidedly uninteresting, for
Democratic convention ought always to be served
hot. The most important incident Of the day,
perhaps, was the practical triumph of the anti
Civil Service refOrmers in the Committee on
Resolutions and in the convention This convention
showed that it knew how not to do it. 1t strag-
gled together this forenoon at half past ] ; an
hour and half after the appointed time. Twenty
four hours had passed since the body had been
called to order, and so far as the work of the
| convention people was concerned, nothing had
been accomplished but the temporary organization.
The pale faces Of some of the members OF the
Committee on Contested Seats told Of their long
vigil, lasting until o'clock this morning, four.
| teen hours of speech making and wrangles over
local dog fights in different parts of the State.
| But when the convention was finally ready to
start it struck new snag by deputy. The
4 Civil Service reform plank in the platform had
brought on an old-fashoned Democratic quarrel
In the Committee on Resolutions, and the COM
mittee was not ready to report On this Senator
Murphy moved o further recess until p. m. thus
throwing away two hours more, but he was
ovcrruled
d. Cady Hcrrick. of Albany, chairman Of the
Committee. on Contested Seats, reported in favor
of the sitting delegations from Albany, Broome,
Cayuaga, New-York, Onondaga and Orleans, and
the first and second districts Of Westchester
in the thr district OF Westcheser the contestants
were admitted. This excluded Irving Hall. Tho
change in the Westchester district so far as
there any difference in the complexion OF
the delegation was Cleveland gain. As this
result showed 3s4 delegates had waited here In
Saratoga twentyfour hours in order to change three
delegates from one district in Westchester County.
Timothy j. Campbell for the Committee on Per-
manent Organization then reported the name OF
| Mr.. Raines as permanent chairman, and con-
| tinued the active secretaries already chosen. n
long list Of vice-presidents and honorary sccre-
tarcs was announced. George II. Sterling, OF
fragrant memory one of the secretaries.
Anthony Barrett, Of Brooklyn, offered a rcso-
luton which he said suggested to him by
his all night labors in the Committee on Contested
Seats. This declared IL TO be the sense of the
convention that the several County Committees
throughout the State should adopt proper rules
to govern the primary elections of delegates to the
/
primary elections law, which he said was inetfcct-
ual unless proper rules were made. county
committee could exclude all red-headed men from
the organization, and the primary elections law
could not help them. In New-Yor and Brooklyn
the party acted under rules, but in the country
| the primary elections were usually governed by
tradngs. The result was that large number OF
| Democrats ostracised at present He pro-
tested against fraud and oppression in the primary
elections.
large number of the delegates from the county
evidently sympathized with Mr.. Barretts view,
but when the resolution was put to rising vote
alter some parliamentary skirmishing against it
by Judge Clancy and Thomas +. Gilroy, of New
York, it was lost. Tammany and the County
Democracy voted against it. most of the votes in
It's favor coming from the country delegates Ii
may be, however, that the agitation of the subject
will have an effect in the country. There is
considerable feeling among the delegates as TO
their being kept here while few local squabblcs
which ought to be fought out at hcme are
thrashed over. Such difficulties would often be
avoided if there were rules and each side knew
what they were. Such sGuabble was probably
prevented in Erie County by the action OF Edwin
Fleming Ed tor of "The Buffalo Courier" who
discovered that the calls published in his paper
were irregular, ordered them excluded and di-
rected the attention of Democrats to their rules.
This set many to studying them for the frst
time, with the result that each side knew its
ground and there were no contests. In almost
all cases, 1t is said, the contests arise through
sharp practice, which is made possible either by
the absence of rules by ignorance Of those
already In existence
VIGOROUS DEMANDS FOR THE sPoILs.
recess of an hour was taken TO give tho
Al
The cause of this was an attempt perslstenty
made by the Tammany Hall delegates to insert
plank against Civil Service reform. The
1ammany members of the committee were Rastus
s. Ransom, Congressman Francis b. Spinola,
Henry Bischoff jr., Sheriff Hugh j. Grant and
ex-senator George II. Forster. They were aided
by Congressman Bourxe Cochran who occasionally
came into the committee room and acted as
substitute for Sheriff Grant. Mr.. Cochran fought
Civil Service reform In the Democratic State
Committee q year ago and wns beaten. He
was aided this year by Congressman Spinola
"Nine-tenths of the Democrats in this State"
said Mr. Spinola TO the committee, are opposed
to Civil Service reform. They think it o humbug.
They don't want the law enforced. Give US
chance to abolish It, am going to Washington
soon. Don't embarrass me there by approving
the law
Mr. COCHRAN maze speech vi s'hii"r scnoH'
Mr.. Forster end Mr.. Ransom also were conspicuous
In their opposition to Civil Service REFORM bue
a Civil Service reform plank to gull the Mugwumps
had been drawn up by Ex-Governor Dorsheimer. 1t
was stoutly defended by himself. Edward Cooper
and ex-Congressman Henry A. Reeves, Of Suffolk
County. They pointed out that about all the
Mugwumps cared about In politics was Civil
Service reform, and they would be driven out
Of the Democratic party, perhaps, II plank
hostile to Civil Service reform was adopted. Mr.
Dorsheimer's plank was Of the mildest possible
character. but still the Tammany Hall delegates
opposed its adoption. In the plank 1t wac care
, fully pointed out that the Civil Service reform
laws applied only to o small part Of the FEDERAL